Bicycles have been made and sold for over one hundred years. Folding bikes are known and tend to allow a bike to be folded into a smaller yet still bulky or cumbersome size. Furthermore the folding bike can be typically heavier than a non folding similar bike. The provision of a bike that folds into a package small enough to be carried in a general purpose rucksack and light enough to be carried great distances if needs be, has not been available to any practical extent.
In general, bicycles ranging from high performance sports uses to standard personal transportation devices, bicycles have generally had only one limitation -- the space occupied when the bicycle is not in use. Lightweight bicycles are known, but the size has continued to present a problem. One of the main size limitations has been the wheels. Most conventional bicycles have front and rear wheels which range from twenty six to twenty eight inches in diameter. Even ignoring the other structural aspects of the bicycle, the front and rear wheel alone represent the size of two large refuse container lids.
Existing folding bicycle products tend to fold in several actions, often leaving an oiled chain exposed on the outside, and other components of the bike protruding. As a result, conventional folding bicycles can be dirty and dangerous to users and their clothing. Generally the existing bikes tend to remain bulky, even when folded.
One reason that light portable bicycles are especially valuable is the increased need for personal transportation to “fill in” the gaps in the public transportation system. This is especially true for work situations where a commuter may drive to a train station and disembark from a train station which is several miles from work. Even a small portable bicycle would need to be specially stored in the workplace. Carriage of the small bicycle on the train presents an even more severe problem, especially on train lines having a “standing room only” level of crowding. Although some busses have bicycle racks, the racks are too few for the high number of bicycles which should be used.
Another needed “breakthrough” area is that of facilitating bicycle usage by persons with lesser upper body strength. This involves the need for lighter weight and more compact size. The average portable bicycle weighs about twenty-two pounds. Even with a carrying case or backpack, a twenty-two pound weight is a significant weight for a small individual lacking upper body strength. Given that most individuals also have other items to carry, the twenty-two pound average weight is an addition rather than a total carry weight. As such, weight prevents a significant portion of the population from deriving the advantages of portable bicycle use.
In terms of utilization of a bicycle, much of the total picture for increased utilization involves the ability to store the bicycle for occasional uses for times such as when all the busses and trains may not be running. In this case, more continuous workplace storage will need to be facilitated. In large metropolitan areas the office space available to workers continues to shrink. To be available as an “on demand” link, both storage and carriage will need to be facilitated.